The Necromancer FAQ, with pictures (updated 11/08/05) [Archive]

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El Chupacabr

10-04-2005, 08:40 AM

<DIV>This is reposted, I've been keeping a FAQ for a long time (for this game) though the original is too cluttered with old issues... time for a new posting of it! The original thread can be found at <A href="http://eqiiforums.station.sony.com/eq2/board/message?board.id=30&message.id=3829" target=_blank>http://eqiiforums.station.sony.com/eq2/board/message?board.id=30&message.id=3829</A> and while it isn't the original FAQ's information (it was updated throughout the life of the game) all the comments are the old ones. If you want to see just how much the necromancer class has changed, check out that thread. In the interest of helping the community, I've decided to write up a little frequently asked questions list. I certainly won't pretend to know it all so if you see something you'd like added or disagree with, add a response and I'll add or correct it. I'll only be including necro specific stuff in this thread, not racial traits or quests. I will also be focusing on grouping as that's where we really shine.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Necromancer general questions: </DIV> Q. What does the essence of anguish I received from the Grisly Mark/Horrific Mark/Necromantic Symbol spell do? A. The essence of anguish is used for the necromancer spell "revivication", our ressurection spell received at level 48. It is also used for our level 52 spell drawing of souls. These items stack up to 50 per inventory slot and breed like rabbits... don't feel bad about deleting these from inventory every few stacks, they are easy to come by and you really won't use that many. Personally, I have 10 stacks though there is no reason to hold onto that many, a single stack should suffice 'til 52, after that maybe keep a couple stacks at a time. Q. What are our "fun" spells and where can I get them? A. Our fun spells are: Nylph's Bone form (lvl 20), Nylph's Flayed Form (lvl 30), Nylph's Misty Image (lvl 35), Dartain's Dead Sight (lvl 40) which gives self Infravision, Skeletal Regiment (lvl 45) and Dartain's Cloaking Debris (lvl 50). All of these spells can be purchased from the mage academy in North Freeport, the same place you got your subclass quest from... they are all there, sometimes they're just on different scribes so look around. Q. Where do I start my level 20 armor quest? A. The armor quest starts in East Freeport in the Freeport Observer building... look for the witch Kirsteh. These quests are long, drawn out and a royal pain in the rear. This is composed of six quests, one for each visible armor slot. I wouldn't recommend obsessing over finishing these quests as it can be pretty tough around AQ4 (think it was AQ4, whichever one is in Edgewater Drains). I did all of the AQ's but it took me a long time /lfg to finish them; knowing what I know now, I probably wouldn't do the AQ's after 3 again. I guess my point is, the armor is pretty nice stuff and can be fun in the right groups... just don't feel you have to finish them. Q. What makes the necromancer special compared to other mages? A. Agro control and health/power manipulation. <UL> <LI>Agro control by our ability to do more damage against a single target without pulling the hate off of our tanks than most any other class. Before the shouts of "nerf" rain from above, lemme clarify this point a little. If a necromancer can place a pet behind a mob and if they can get both their swarm pets on a mobs back and if the fight lasts 35 seconds or longer, chances are you will do more damage than most other classes. That ability comes at a steep price though... if any of your pets are killed by a mob after about 15 seconds, all their hate will transfer to you and you'll most likely have a new friend that will do horrible things to your fragile person. It's not as easy as it seems, the DPS pets will take hits and die at the most inopportune times. Keep your pet healed to the best of your ability, if he dies and transfers all his accumulated hate to you, chances are you are going to be mowed down before your healers realize what the heck happened. </LI> <LI>Health and power manipulation are just that, tap your pet for power, use your health to heal him and use your lifetap to heal yourself... it's a dance but can be quite fun.</LI></UL> Q. What's the difference between a Conjurer and Necromancer? A. There are five big differences between the classes. First, Conjurers are better then us at AoE, we are much better at single target damage. The necromancers spells are very focused on single target damage, the conjurers get almost all AoE type spells. Necro's get a couple, they just aren't as good. Second, conjurers get some very good group damage buffs... they get a fireshield (a spell that does damage when the recipient is hit) spell and a proc (process, essentially a spell that has a chance to "process" or cast when attacking) quite early and of very good quality. Third, conjurers are elemental (fire, cold) based, necromancers are noxious based (disease specifically). This isn't always important though it is helpful when grouping with a sorcerer. Wizards are elemental based like the conji's, so their debuffs stack up helping both classes do more damage... Warlocks are noxious based, just like us, helping both do more damage. Fourth, conjurers get more status effecting abilities like stifles and stuns. We get health transfers and revivication. Fifth, necro's get less pet specific special abilities. A conjurer can instantly revive a dead pet, ward a pet against damage and put a massive damage buff on the pet only come 50 while we get a small pet only haste. This point really isn't a big deal but it is a difference. Q. Whenever I cast the spell swarm of rats or ghastly stench, they all get killed before they do much damage... how can I maximize their effectiveness? A. The rats and zombie themselves can take very little damage so sometimes when a mob (Mobile Object, in other words, an enemy target) uses an ability that effects everything in front of it, the rats get killed. The best way to cast this spell is go behind the mob and cast, the rats will stay in back and not take as much if any damage from the mob, leaving your tank to take the damage, you and the rats to do damage. The limited pets won't take damage from AoE but my experience has been either they will get hit by frontal arc attacks or the chances are much higher that the swarm pet will be tageted and destroyed if in front of a mob. Q. Is the necromancer mostly a solo class? A. No. Forget any ideas about the class from certain other games... the necromancer with pet does not make him a solo only class. This is not to say we aren't a good solo class, we are probably the most efficient solo class as the game currently stands but those solo abilities are what translate into a fantastic groupmate as well. It's not like "certain other games" where the long duration DoT's of necromancers made them a detriment to a groups damage. Here, we have some of the fastest cast times and most consistant damage with the best control of hate of the mages... this makes us pretty close to ideal in all playstyles. Q. Is the necromancer a fun class to play? A. I've always enjoyed the class and since the combat revamp, I've come to enjoy it even more. There's no way of really telling how much you'll enjoy it, pet classes in this game are quite a bit different than that "other" game so give it a try. You'll know by level 16 or so if a pet class is right for you. Just remember that necro's aren't big nukers like the sorcerers, we cast lots of fast DoT's and use lots of dumbfire pets and spend an inordinate amount of time juggling our health. See what you think, it's a great class that has only gotten better the more the game's matured. Q. Can I become a necromancer in Qeynos? A. Nope, necromancer is only available to residents of Freeport. You cannot become a necro then betray to Qeynos either since the betrayal quest locks your character at level 17 'til you complete it and you can't start the necromancer subclass quest 'til level 18. Q. What should I be spending most of my money on? Spells, equipment or a combination? A. Spend every penny you can on upgrading your spells, the ones you use anyways. For necro's (and any mage really) our effectiveness is completely tied to our spells (especially pets, pet buffs and swarm spells). If you have to decide between upgrading your boots or upgrading a spell, the spell wins every time. I'm not saying save all your money for spells only... if you find a jeweler grinding out rings and things, pick them up; just don't concern yourself with keeping all your equipment "new". Don't be afraid to let your equipment /con grey, our AC gains really don't mean alot anyways... our spell power > all. Q. What stats should I be looking for in my armor upgrades? A. This can be subjective... my belief is that the desireability order is intelligence > power > stamina > health > resists. If you find an item that is very grey to you but has unbeatable int, use that item instead of the item with high AC but no int or power on it. Q. What race makes the best necromancer? A. There really isn't a best race when all is said and done... however there are some that give some nice advantages for a mage class. If you remember we actually have three main stats; intelligence primary, stamina secondary, agility tertiary. You can look at the bonuses each race gives through traits and plan accordingly. The benefits are pretty slight so by no means base your character on those traits alone, go with the race you think you'll have the most fun with. Racial traits can be found at <A href="http://eq2.primagames.com/pdfs/traits.pdf" target=_blank>http://eq2.primagames.com/pdfs/traits.pdf</A> and should give you a pretty good idea of what the different races can give in regards to special racial advantages... it's not exactly "right" as far as use timers etc. but it is a good guideline. Q. Aren't Sorcerers better at damage then us? Why should I choose a second-rate DPS'er? A. Sometimes, the term "best DPS" gets thrown around with little basis in fact. Sorcerers (and predators) can out damage us sometimes, not all the time. In fights lasting longer then 30 seconds, necromancers start pulling ahead of the pack in regards to top damage output; every second after 30 pushes us further up the DPS chain since most classes cannot keep up with our power regen capabilities. This leads us to the difference between burst and sustained damage. Q. What's the difference between burst and sustained DPS classes? A. Necromancers (and conjurers/rogues) are a sustained DPS class, Sorcerers and predators are burst damage classes. Burst damage attacks are high damage long recast attacks, those big booms that wizards get. Sustained damage is steady, reliable damage that just keeps adding up the longer you go. A good example of sustained damage is the DoT, a whole bunch of DoT's stacked together and allowed to run their full course are perfect examples of why necromancers are great in the long fight... our damage is sustained with very little variation and why you will generally see your DPS as always around the same number. A really nice thing about our style of damage is we aren't horribly effected by resists to our spells... if one of them is resisted, not that big a deal since we've got other stuff running on the mob and we generally have short recast timers (the ghastly stench line being the exception). A burst class misses their big hit and they have to wait a while before they can try to do that damage again, meanwhile our slow steady damage has been ticking the whole time. I'd recommend to anyone to download one of the various combat parsers to see how to maximize your damage output... and to prove that we are a high damage DPS class. You don't see the big booms with a necro but the proof is in the pudding at the end of a play session. In a short fight we can't even touch a sorcerer or predator, give us 30 seconds and we move quickly to the top of the heap. A necromancer will do alot more damage without drawing the agro than most classes but if any of those pets dies we are in deep poop. Message Edited by El Chupacabras on 11-08-2005 06:24 PM

El Chupacabr

10-04-2005, 09:08 AM

<DIV>Necromancer spell specific questions: </DIV> <DIV> Q. Why can't I stack my concentration buffs? A. Concentration buffs (just like pet buffs) are meant to be used 'til upgrade, with the old one taken off the spell bar. We aren't meant to stack up our buffs for +100 intelligence or anything like that, you get one buff of each line at a time, that's it. Q. Since spells are generally upgraded by a new one every 14 levels, where can I find the name of <spell name's> upgrade? A. Here's the progression: <A href="http://www.freewebs.com/ryokousha/Games/EQ2/necromancer-spelltable.html" target=_blank>http://www.freewebs.com/ryokousha/Games/EQ2/necromancer-spelltable.html</A> Necro spells all have samish names like our fast DoT is xxxxrot etc. and you'll get used to the naming convention but this is a handy chart to map your future upgrades. Q. I just hit level 51 and didn't get my spell! What the heck is going on? A. Spells level 51+ are no longer granted automatically, they have to be purchased either from your friendly sage, received as an adept1/master1 spell drop or purchased in Maj'Dul. Q. What are these special spells level 52/55/58 I'm hearing about? I can't find an apprentice spell for these either on the broker or in Maj'Dul. A. The three spells, drawing of Souls (lvl 52), control undead (lvl 55) and consumption (lvl 5<img src="/smilies/b2eb59423fbf5fa39342041237025880.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /> cannot be made into apprentice spells nor do any merchants carry the app II. If you want these spells (and you really should want them) you'll either have to find a dropped adept spell or find the adept III recipe and have a sage make it. These just don't come in an apprentice variety but devouring and consumption are probably the first two spells in T6 that I'd upgrade to adept III. Q. I just harvested a rare, what spell should I upgrade? A. Another one that's a little subjective but I'll answer what I would do. All spells should be upgraded as high as possible, preferably to adept 1... these spells are the over and above's; the ones that should be adept 3 or master. Remember, I primarily group so this list reflects that. T2 (Level 10 to 19) <OL> <LI>Seism (our only AoE stun, you can use this forever) </LI> <LI>Tellurian recruit </LI> <LI>Agitation </LI> <LI>Soothe servant</LI></OL> Special notes: In general, I'd just sell any rare to a twinker I got in this level range, you'll be out of it so quickly that the adept3 would just be a speedbump on the road up (except for #1). T3 (Level 20 to 29) <OL> <LI>Undying adherant </LI> <LI>Lifetap </LI> <LI>Swarm of rats </LI> <LI>Pestilential blast </LI> <LI>Grim spellbinder</LI></OL> Special notes: If you aren't fairly near (levelwise) when you receive these upgrades, don't bother. 20-30 is a fairly easy run up the level ladder so most of these aren't make or break spells, modify per master 2 choices. T4 (Level 30 to 39) <OL> <LI>Rotting thrall </LI> <LI>Plague of rats </LI> <LI>Words of the wicked </LI> <LI>Shadowy stalker </LI> <LI>Draw life </LI> <LI>Ghastly stench</LI></OL> Special notes: This is a really fun level range and where you'll really be kicking tail. T5 (Level 40-50) <OL> <LI>Lich (the best necromancer spell, it is the number one upgrade no matter what and in all circumstances) </LI> <LI>Siphon life </LI> <LI>Exchange life </LI> <LI>Shadowy assassin </LI> <LI>Stench of the grave </LI> <LI>Grim terror</LI></OL> Special notes: If you're just coming up on #4 and get a rare, get him right away, it's a great upgrade. By parsing, this is the most damage/utility order of upgrade. T6 (Level 51-60) <OL> <LI>Drawing of souls (ancient spell and only way you'll probably find it) </LI> <LI>Diseased servant </LI> <LI>Voice of the departed </LI> <LI>Consumption (another ancient spell) </LI> <LI>Nightshade </LI> <LI>Blighted pack </LI> <LI>Death Rot (the highest damage non-dumbfire spell after Lich) </LI> <LI>Deathly coil</LI></OL> You may have noted my putting warlock pets fairly low on the upgrade priority... the problem I have with the warlocks is that our offensive buffs currently have little or no effect on them (the increase in "casting level" has been verified to not actually increase cast ability by development so our buffs don't do much), causing a fairly low parse when compared to the assassin pets. They have their uses and mine is an adept3 but in general she just can't touch the assassins averaged damage in a night. I primarily group so my upgrade path takes that into account... if you are primarily a solo'er, upgrade the pet defensive buffs instead of the pet offensive buffs first. There is also something to be said for upgrading the lifetaps a little earlier in the list if you are a solo'er. This list also needs to be weighed against the next topic: Q. I just hit level (14/24/34/44/54), what should I take for a master spell? A. Another subjective topic but I'll give a broad stroke of what I'd do. My feeling is you should take the "scaling" (spells that level with you) at every upgrade opportunity. This would be the rats or dogs upgrades, the pet offensive buffs or the pet defensive buffs (the buffs don't really level but a percentage increase in damage to a scaling pet makes them act like scaling spells). In general, I find the upgrades on things like siphon life to be too minor from adept 3 to master 2 to make them worth it. Just remember when looking at taking a master version of those lifetap spells, it takes 11 seconds between casts, that 200 extra damage may seem nice on the surface but it's really only a DPS increase of 18 whereas the scalings will do more and more damage every level (and certainly more that 18 DPS). If you need the extra heal of the master lifetap then go for it, only you know what you're character really needs... me, I stick with scaling spells only (and certainly not the group buffs). Q. Where can I get the complete necromancer spell list? A. Handelbars keeps a pretty up-to-date list of all spells with screenshots, it's not 100% but it's good enough @ <A href="http://eq2necromancer.com/" target=_blank>http://eq2necromancer.com/</A>, you can also check this post <A href="http://eqiiforums.station.sony.com/eq2/board/message?board.id=30&message.id=13011" target=_blank>http://eqiiforums.station.sony.com/eq2/board/message?board.id=30&message.id=13011</A> </DIV>Message Edited by El Chupacabras on 11-08-2005 06:22 PM

El Chupacabr

10-04-2005, 09:08 AM

Necromancer pet specific questions: Q. What type pets do we as necromancers get? A. Necro's get three types of pets, Warlock, Assassin and fighter: The Grim Spellbinder (lvl 20), Grim Thulian (lvl 34), Grim Terror (lvl 48.6) which are all warlocks; The Shadowy Stalker (lvl 32), Shadowy Assassin (lvl 46.<img src="/smilies/b2eb59423fbf5fa39342041237025880.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /> and Nightshade (lvl 60) which are assassins; The Tellurian Recruit (lvl 10), Undying Adherant (lvl 24), Rotting Thrall (lvl 38.6) and Diseased Servant (lvl 52), which are all fighters/tanks. Q. Which pet should I be using? A. That can be subjective... there are lots of considerations but I've found the following criteria to be pretty good in deciding: <UL> <LI>If in a low damage group, the grim is a good choice since he is slow on the attack but does pretty good damage, can also regen your groups health (it's a green cloud that surrounds your party called "Grim Embrace"). </LI> <LI>If in a high damage group, the assassin line is a better bet since he has very fast attack speeds and has some high damage specials he likes to use fairly early in the fight. Can also stifle, in a fast fight he can knock out a good percentage of the damage your tank takes. If your tank isn't on the ball or doesn't have decently upgraded taunts, the assassin can easily pull the agro when that big attack hits, getting you killed. </LI> <LI>If in an area that has predominantly single target mobs, the assassin is usually the best choice since he, in general, has the highest single target damage of all the pets. </LI> <LI>If in an area that has predominantly groups of group mobs, the grim may be the better choice since he has AoE attacks and likes to use them. Be cautious using him this way though, his four second cast times can be detrimental to his damage if assisting your tank and he may be able to pull agro if he's on a target the tank isn't concentrating on. Be careful with him, he's good but takes alot of babysitting to maximize. </LI> <LI>If you need a mob to do the least damage possible, say in a healer light group, there is alot to be said for the fighter line of pets. They have good knockdowns and do decent damage if buffed offensively. Also a fine offtank, though he can be a bit overzelous with the taunts... watch his health, he generates alot of hate so if he dies you'll be getting alot more hate then his damage output would suggest.</LI></UL> Contrary to popular belief, the assassin pets do not need to be behind a mob to do all their specials like player scouts classes. You should keep your damage pets behind mobs to avoid frontal arc attacks like barrage or reactive damage from riposte (riposte will destroy a scout pet since the majority of his damage is generally auto-attack). Make sure your tanks know to position mobs in relation to your pet, explain to them how important giving a summoner the back of a mob is for both your regular pet and especially your dumbfires. For solo, you normally use one of the fighter pets (undying adherant, rotting thrall, diseased servant) though it is possible to solo using the assassin line of pets (experiment and see which is the best way for you). In grouping, I find it best to start out with an assassin pet then change to a different one if I see an advantage listed above in the course of the group. There are also considerations when choosing a pet to use: Q. What types of damage do my pets do? A. Pets have four total damage types, sometimes these need to be considered when choosing a pet to use as some mobs are resistant or immune to certain damage types. <UL> <LI>The undying adherant line does crushing autoattack damage and disease special damage </LI> <LI>The swarm of rats line does crushing damage </LI> <LI>The ghastly stench line does crushing damage with disease AoE </LI> <LI>The grim spellbinder line does poison damage </LI> <LI>The shadowy stalker line can use either slashing or piercing, just resummon until you get the right type for what you're doing <UL> <LI>If he has a rapier on his right hip, he's piercing autoattack with poison based specials </LI> <LI>If he has a short sword on his right hip, he's slashing autoattack with poison based specials</LI></UL> </LI></UL> Q. How do I pull with my pet? A. Send your pet at a target, let him hit, press backoff. Once the mob is fairly close to you (close enough not to hit you but close enough that your "pull" was successful) hit "pet attack" on that same mob. It used to be much harder then this and why it was in the FAQ, now, it's quite simple. Q. Why won't my pet attack? The mob is right in front of him! A. One of the more villified changes to pet targeting is the change that keeps pets from attacking anything that you wouldn't be able to attack. What this change did is keep pets from attacking stuff stuck in walls and floors as well as making it so we couldn't pet-pull something a long ways off or obstructed by geography. The change in theory was ok but now if anything is in your pets line of sight (LoS from now on) your pet will give a can't attack message. LoS isn't just walls, it's chairs, rocks, hills... it can be pretty much anything that would either be in the way of your pet running directly to the target or not seeing the target. This can be a real pain in certain zones, but there are workarounds! <OL> <LI>Pet stay: Park your pet somewhere a little ways off that has clear LoS to where you're pulling to and tell him to stay, works most of the time though it's only good for groups that are camping a location.</LI> <LI>Tank training: I know, I say it all the time... doesn't make it any less true though. Have your tanks pull mobs right onto your pet and have them jump over the mob to turn it. Doing that will give you and the pet the mobs back while maximizing your damage potential. This is the best option when group dungeon crawling since it works 100% of the time.</LI> <LI>Run around like a goof trying to get your pet a LoS: Probably the worst option since the pet has such a long follow radius, you have to do alot of running to get him a LoS, possibly bringing adds. Only do this combined with 1 if solo</LI></OL> If your tank won't help you in groups by doing #2 where there is horrid geography, don't give the group the benefit of your pet damage. There are too many risks involved in positioning a pet in a dungeon crawl using method #3; lower DPS is better than a dead group. Q. Can I name my pet? A. You betcha! Just type /petname XXXX where X is the name you want, then summon a new one... it will have a new name! Q. Can I name all my pets different things? A. Again, sure! Here's a handy macro that replaced my regular pet spells on the hotbar: <UL> <LI>/petname Jaake </LI> <LI>/useability diseased servant </LI> <LI>/useability diseased servant</LI></UL> The first line sets the name for the pet, the second line dismissed whatever pet you have up now, the third line summons the new pet! It's just that simple! If you want to summon a different pet, just change the spell name after /useability. Q. Why don't enchanters like necromancer pets? A. Our pets have minds of their own, if something hits them, they will hit back. Sometimes when an enchanter is mezzing (mesmorizing a mob, essentially making it as dangerous as a rock) and a pet hits the enchanters target, the mez will be broken adding the previously mezzed mob back to the fight. Pets, however, don't just go willy-nilly, breaking mezzes... they have to be hit to change targets from the one you send them to. Sometimes a pet will break the mez on a target... just how it goes. Generally, it'll just be one target that breaks and you can usually get him to stop once the tank gets that mobs attention so it stops attacking the pet. This is no longer the case, however, a pet set to its default behaviors of protect itself and master will act this way. When grouped with an enchanter or in a raid, your best bet is to set your pet to passive (pet back off) and follow. Pets and enchanters should no longer have the aforementioned problems as long as the pets defaults are turned off (you need to do this every time you zone or summon a new pet). Q. Whenever I cast a lifetap on my pet (essence shift, bloody ritual etc.) my pet has a shield effect surround him every tic, is he casting? A. Your pet isn't casting, what is happening is you are probably grouped with a priest casting group reactive heal buffs. I've noticed this from Templars only (but other classes may get something similar), a spell line called "Intercession" that places a group reactive heal (reactive heals are pre-damage [cast before you take damage] heals, when you take damage, you are healed) on your whole party. Every time your pet takes damage from your lifetap, the reactive heal from the priest fires, healing your pet for some amount quite larger then the damage you did. This is something to be very aware of in groups... if you lifetap your pet midfight you just destroyed a large portion of your healers ability if they are using those group reactives. Be nice to your priests and they'll be nice to you! Q. What are the different pet commands so I can put them in a macro? A. While I don't generally recommend macro'ing the various pet commands, here they are if you have some use for 'em. The preserve's are what you'd think of as the pet guard commands. <UL> <LI>/pet stay</LI> <LI>/pet follow</LI> <LI>/pet backoff</LI> <LI>/pet attack</LI> <LI>/pet preserve_self </LI> <LI>/pet preserve_master</LI></UL> Necromancer pet and funspell pictures: <DIV>A. Some are cooler then others...</DIV> <DIV>1. Adept 1 Grim Thulian (master 1 Grim Spellbinder)</DIV> <DIV><IMG src="http://pic14.picturetrail.com/VOL535/2280805/4467908/115773419.jpg"> </DIV> <DIV>2. Skeletal Regiment</DIV> <DIV><IMG src="http://pic14.picturetrail.com/VOL535/2280805/4467908/109940481.jpg"></DIV> <DIV>3. Zombie pet with adept3 lich (all fighter pets looks the same bar the master diseased servant, just varying sizes). <IMG src="http://pic14.picturetrail.com/VOL535/2280805/4467908/115773243.jpg"> </DIV> <DIV>4. Grim Terror adept3 (master grim thulian) with cloaking debris (the little black puff at my feet). </DIV> <DIV><IMG src="http://pic14.picturetrail.com/VOL535/2280805/4467908/115773269.jpg"> </DIV> <DIV>5. Adept3 Shadowy Assassin (all assassin pets look the same bar the apprentice shadowy stalker and master shadowy assassin).</DIV> <DIV><IMG src="http://pic14.picturetrail.com/VOL535/2280805/4467908/115773133.jpg"> </DIV> <DIV>6. Skeletal with the Grim Spellbinder adept 1 (the first stuff you'll get)</DIV> <DIV><IMG src="http://pic14.picturetrail.com/VOL535/2280805/4467908/115773219.jpg"> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Changelog: </DIV> <UL> <LI>10/20/05:</LI> <UL> <LI>Split the FAQ into three posts</LI> <LI>Added pet LoS topic</LI> <LI>Added new pics</LI></UL> <LI>10/25/05:</LI> <UL> <LI> <DIV align=left>Small change to the T6 adept3 advice</DIV></LI></UL> <LI>10/26/05:</LI> <UL> <LI>This horrid forum software completely changed the layout of the FAQ, had to put the whitespace back in</LI> <LI>Added a link to the spell pic thread</LI></UL> <LI>10/27/05:</LI> <UL> <LI>Added pet commands</LI></UL> <LI>11/08/05:</LI> <UL> <LI>Added the spell progression link</LI></UL></UL> Message Edited by El Chupacabras on 11-08-2005 06:23 PM

Eriol

10-04-2005, 08:31 PM

Good job. Good to keep a FAQ like this around.

lancekortesoja

10-06-2005, 12:12 AM

Thanks for updateing and stuff!! and now I can get my revested spot too! so everyone will know lancek the nercomancer! you rock thanks! (must get lich apdet III) <div></div>

Thakar

10-06-2005, 05:10 AM

/sigh...better change the picture for Lich....SOE changed it. Now the Adept III version is exactly the same burning skeleton as adept 1 Grim Terror. <div></div>

Urbanna

10-06-2005, 03:50 PM

Woot! Got re-stickied =) <div></div>

El Chupacabr

10-06-2005, 05:01 PM

<BLOCKQUOTE> <HR> Thakar wrote: /sigh...better change the picture for Lich....SOE changed it. Now the Adept III version is exactly the same burning skeleton as adept 1 Grim Terror. <HR> </BLOCKQUOTE> Yeah, I'll probably take new pictures tonight and just redo the whole set. Maybe go somewhere a little better lighted for the shots... maybe Qeynos <img src="/smilies/8a80c6485cd926be453217d59a84a888.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />.

Xalmat

10-06-2005, 06:29 PM

Couple points:Conjurors cannot revive dead pets. We can simply protect them from death, and even then not until our late 40s. We also can no longer ward a pet against damage, unless you count the defense stance.Ghost form is no longer in the game, sadly.Overall, a fantastic FAQ as always! I'll probably have to make a Conjuror one soon <img src="/smilies/69934afc394145350659cd7add244ca9.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />

El Chupacabr

10-06-2005, 06:55 PM

<BLOCKQUOTE> <HR> Xalmat wrote: Couple points: Conjurors cannot revive dead pets. We can simply protect them from death, and even then not until our late 40s Semantics <img src="/smilies/8a80c6485cd926be453217d59a84a888.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />, if the pet is at 1 hp and takes a hit for 2,000, he'll pop back up with 700ish (right?)... potato/potatoe. We also can no longer ward a pet against damage, unless you count the defense stance The Vehement stone/rock line is the one I'm talking about. Ghost form is no longer in the game, sadly. Overall, a fantastic FAQ as always! I'll probably have to make a Conjuror one soon <img src="/smilies/69934afc394145350659cd7add244ca9.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /> <HR> </BLOCKQUOTE>

Xalmat

10-06-2005, 07:04 PM

Ah right, forgot about the Vehement Stone line. ([expletive ninja'd by Faarbot] useless spell sometimes too)

Goodwill

10-11-2005, 12:05 PM

This post is insane, thanks so much for this good info on the class <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /> Im sure the Overlord is very pleased with you <img src="/smilies/8a80c6485cd926be453217d59a84a888.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /> <div></div>

Tyralus

10-13-2005, 03:43 PM

Edited for stupidity... I found my answer after re-reading the FAQ's for the 12th time... heh heh. I still wish to thank you all for the quick responses and info... this post rocks. The Necromancer community is the best I have found in EQII. Gilron 29 Necromancer Mistmoore Message Edited by Tyralus on 10-13-2005 04:46 AM

Eriol

10-13-2005, 08:52 PM

<blockquote><hr>Tyralus wrote:I still wish to thank you all for the quick responses and info... this post rocks. The Necromancer community is the best I have found in EQII.<hr></blockquote>The most evil are also the most helpful. <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />Seriously though, I've noticed this too. And sorry to single out somebody, but Xalmat has really helped ALL summoners with his great site, which only helps getting info out there even faster. There have been other great contributers too (El with this FAQ for instance), but Xal's site really is above-and-beyond for everybody in the summoner community, and it helps immensely. Just try looking at the other class forums and it's like pulling teeth getting a useful response on most of them. This is quite a bit better here.

gr8scott

10-14-2005, 11:35 PM

<DIV>Q. How do I pull with my pet?</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>A. Send your pet at a target, let him hit, press backoff. Once the mob is fairly close to you (close enough not to hit you but close enough that your "pull" was successful) hit "pet attack" on that same mob. It used to be much harder then this and why it was in the FAQ, now, it's quite simple.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>While it might be an advanced pulling technique or more of a 'tip/trick' the new pet targeting rules create the need for more creative strategies.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>If you find you need to pull a mob that you can't send the pet in after due to pet targeting, here is one way to still pull the mob.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>-Go some distance away from the target and order the pet to 'stay'</DIV> <DIV>-Invis up and move close enough to the target so that the pet will actually accept the attack command (usually you have to get on the same plane as the target)</DIV> <DIV>-Issue the attack command. Move away from the target and any potential adds while the pet is charging towards the target (if you need more time, be sure to position the pet even farther away. The pet is closing on the target while you are running away).</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>This technique should allow you to still make those single pulls even when the pet is balking at his assignment <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>GS</DIV>

Disaster

10-17-2005, 10:43 AM

Thanks for that it answered allot of questions. :smileyvery-happy: <div></div>

Tyralus

10-18-2005, 03:11 PM

Ok, I am about to get my Shadowy Stalker (lvl 32), it brought several questions to my mind though. How are the different pets useful in different situations? When I solo I use my UA... no question. When I am grouped I bring out my lvl 20 Warlock, how is the SS going to be used? Is it a group pet or is he reliable as a tank for solo play... and the same question goes for the rest of my yet un-earned pets? As always your responses are most appreciated. Gilron 31 Necromancer Mistmoore

Kirotaan

10-18-2005, 06:35 PM

The assasin line of pets is handy in groups (or at least for me) I use him all the time with groups and judging by his DPS parsed against the warlock pet he actually does more dmg. The only thing that is tricky is getting him behind the target. He is most effective against the single group mobs. The warlock pet is good for group heroic mobs because he gets a group lifetap. Hope that helps. <div></div>

El Chupacabr

10-18-2005, 11:16 PM

<blockquote><hr>Tyralus wrote:Ok, I am about to get my Shadowy Stalker (lvl 32), it brought several questions to my mind though. How are the different pets useful in different situations? When I solo I use my UA... no question. When I am grouped I bring out my lvl 20 Warlock, how is the SS going to be used? Is it a group pet or is he reliable as a tank for solo play... and the same question goes for the rest of my yet un-earned pets? As always your responses are most appreciated. Gilron 31 Necromancer Mistmoore <div></div><hr></blockquote>I thought the "Which pet should I be using?" topic was quite clear on pet useage, does it need a rewrite?<div></div>

Gwid

10-19-2005, 12:10 AM

Thanks El for the extensive FAQ. It's clear you love the class and we appreciate your helping us with <DIV>what can be a complex class.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>My question is, did they fix Necro's to allow more than one in a group? In other words, do necromancers' dots stack with other necros in the group?</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Thanks in advace,</DIV> <DIV>Gwid</DIV> <DIV> </DIV>

El Chupacabr

10-19-2005, 12:16 AM

<blockquote><hr>Gwidad wrote:<div></div>Thanks El for the extensive FAQ. It's clear you love the class and we appreciate your helping us with <div>what can be a complex class.</div> <div> </div> <div>My question is, did they fix Necro's to allow more than one in a group? In other words, do necromancers' dots stack with other necros in the group?</div> <div> </div> <div>Thanks in advace,</div> <div>Gwid</div> <div> </div><hr></blockquote>Thanks, and yep, the stacking issues are fixed (except for buffs, only one necro's group buffs work).<div></div>

Tyralus

10-19-2005, 04:00 PM

No, no re-write is required... I just need to get these darn eyeballs fixed... once again you have made me look silly. /blush I guess the only down side to your wonderful post is that it is too darn comprehensive for us that are time challenged and need quick answers. I have tried printing it out so I can look at it while playing, but it is updated pretty often and I find my copies go out of date rather quickly... heh heh. Once again El Chupa... I am in your debt... thank you so very much for making me slow down and re-read it all again, it was worth it. <IMG height=16 src="http://eqiiforums.station.sony.com/i/smilies/16x16_smiley-happy.gif" width=16> Gilron 32 Necromancer Mistmoore

El Chupacabr

10-20-2005, 08:17 PM

<BLOCKQUOTE> <HR> gr8scott wrote: <DIV>Q. How do I pull with my pet?</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>A. Send your pet at a target, let him hit, press backoff. Once the mob is fairly close to you (close enough not to hit you but close enough that your "pull" was successful) hit "pet attack" on that same mob. It used to be much harder then this and why it was in the FAQ, now, it's quite simple.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>While it might be an advanced pulling technique or more of a 'tip/trick' the new pet targeting rules create the need for more creative strategies.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>If you find you need to pull a mob that you can't send the pet in after due to pet targeting, here is one way to still pull the mob.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>-Go some distance away from the target and order the pet to 'stay'</DIV> <DIV>-Invis up and move close enough to the target so that the pet will actually accept the attack command (usually you have to get on the same plane as the target)</DIV> <DIV>-Issue the attack command. Move away from the target and any potential adds while the pet is charging towards the target (if you need more time, be sure to position the pet even farther away. The pet is closing on the target while you are running away).</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>This technique should allow you to still make those single pulls even when the pet is balking at his assignment <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>GS</DIV> <HR> </BLOCKQUOTE> A fairly specialized trick and one I'd think you can accomplish by just bringing your pet with you and sending him in when you have a LoS then backing off. I did add a LoS topic though, thanks for the input.

Ebonmist

11-07-2005, 01:31 AM

*stunned silence* woah....:smileysurprised:

Erickson

11-08-2005, 09:14 PM

<DIV>ELEWOOD!</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> mob = monster or beast not mobile object =p</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Erickson!</DIV>

El Chupacabr

11-08-2005, 09:22 PM

<DIV>Mob (computer gaming) <DIV>From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. <DIV>Jump to: <A href="" target=_blank>navigation</A>, <A href="" target=_blank>search</A></DIV> A mob is a <A href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-player_character" target=_blank>non-player character</A> (NPC) or <A href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monster" target=_blank>monster</A> in a <A href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_role-playing_game" target=_blank>computer role-playing game</A> (especially <A href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MUD" target=_blank>MUDs</A> and <A href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MMORPG" target=_blank>MMORPGs</A>). It is widely accepted as being short for mobile object or simply mobile, stemming from its use in the earliest text-based MUDs, and is commonly written either mob or MOB (the latter more often considered an <A href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acronym" target=_blank>acronym</A> of Movable Object Block, a term for any on-screen moving object, or <A href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sprite_%28computer_graphics%29" target=_blank>sprite</A>). There appears to be some debate on the exact origins or the term, and <A href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Backronym" target=_blank>backronyms</A> such as "monster or beast" and "mere ordinary beast" have been developed. In the software from which it came, it is important to note that there are three basic structures of the database, rooms, objects and mobiles, which are objects that can be attacked, are aggressive (may attack the player), and which wander through rooms when permitted. Because they are mobile, mobile was the term used to describe them. Killing mobs can give such rewards as <A href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Experience_point" target=_blank>experience points</A> and items. Usually the combat is player initiated, however, if the mob is "aggravated" or has aggro, it is configured so that it will challenge a player who enters within a certain range. This area is known as the aggro range. Combat between players and mobs is called <A href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Player_versus_monster" target=_blank>player versus monster</A> (PvM) or in a broader sense, <A href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Player_versus_environment" target=_blank>player versus environment</A> (PvE); as opposed to <A href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Player_versus_player" target=_blank>player versus player</A> (PvP) battles where the emphasis is on defeating an opposing player rather fighting against the game system. I didn't write that explanation nor did I copy it but it's almost word-for-word what I define as mob. Edit: And here's the definition from the everquest online adventures website, don't mess with a jedi master, Erickson <img src="/smilies/8a80c6485cd926be453217d59a84a888.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />. MOB: Mobile or Mobile Object. A MUD term originally, used to describe creatures in a game, whether NPCs or enemies.</DIV></DIV>Message Edited by El Chupacabras on 11-08-2005 11:37 AM

Talimer

11-10-2005, 06:08 AM

I just got my lvl 20 Grim Spellbinder pet, and was wondering if there was any way to make him taunt groups of enemies like the Tellurian Recruit you get as a Summoner. Also, are there any upgrades for the Grim Spellbinder to make him different? <div></div>

El Chupacabr

11-10-2005, 06:43 AM

<blockquote><hr>Talimer wrote:I just got my lvl 20 Grim Spellbinder pet, and was wondering if there was any way to make him taunt groups of enemies like the Tellurian Recruit you get as a Summoner. Also, are there any upgrades for the Grim Spellbinder to make him different? <div></div><hr></blockquote>Grim spellbinder has no inherant taunt, nor does the shadowy line of pets... the only taunt those pets have are from damage (and you really don't want them to taunt anyways as they aren't tank pets like the tellurian and undying adherant lines are). The pet pics show the different pet appearances by upgrade. <div></div>

Truwen

11-14-2005, 11:09 AM

Thanks, chup nice post its helped me 1, decide to play a necro as my new main and 2, helped me figure out a playstyle for my character. Thanks. -truwen <div></div>

BrutalBilly

11-25-2005, 05:06 AM

<DIV>you gotta love what SOE have done with our zombie pets and zombie illusion. They must have put so much work into all these new expansions, yet haven't found time to make the zombies move their arms, or legs, or make noise, or swim, or jump, or......</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Try your zombie illusion and try jumping or swimming....very very sad.</DIV>

MasterAntsa

11-27-2005, 03:03 PM

Great! :smileyhappy:

Xalmat

12-15-2005, 07:58 PM

Bumpity bump! Needs a re-sticky.

locke_digital

12-16-2005, 09:20 PM

This FAQ has guided me from level 10 to my current level of 30. It's priceless! Thank you for taking the time to write it and keep it up to date!<div></div>

Taranwen

12-17-2005, 09:00 PM

This is a killer post...love it...my necro is a lvl 25 atm but moving quickly.the funnest alt ive ever played. (i think i play her more then my main) your FAQ has helped me quite a bit. I wish there was a guide like this for all the classes..would really help all those people having a hard time choosing what class to play for their personal gaming style. Definately going to bookmark this puppy! thanks again!! <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /><div></div>

stgninja

12-17-2005, 10:07 PM

My new main is a 41 necro and I gotta say playing this class just keeps getting better and better. I just wish they'd let us fear kite EQ1 style :smileyhappy: LU18 fortehwin!!!111 :smileyhappy:

Xalmat

12-21-2005, 08:57 PM

<a href=http://eq2.eqsummoners.com/viewtopic.php?t=439 target=_blank>http://eq2.eqsummoners.com/viewtopic.php?t=439</a>Official thread on the Summoner's Tower for displaying pet graphics. Needs to be filled in of course.

TunaBoo

12-22-2005, 04:35 AM

Master shade pic. She has a katana but does pierce.<img src="http://www.thetunaman.com/eq2/shade.jpg"><div></div>

kenji

03-07-2006, 05:58 AM

<div></div>i just wondering if the OP is still playing or not =)

Xalmat

03-07-2006, 06:00 AM

Doesn't look like it. I'll probably end up taking over revisions in the near future.

NerissaRavenHeart

04-01-2006, 01:38 AM

This might be a good addition to the STICKY list as well if you guys think it would be.<a href="http://eqiiforums.station.sony.com/eq2/board/message?board.id=30&message.id=20617" target="_blank">http://eqiiforums.station.sony.com/eq2/board/message?board.id=30&message.id=20617</a>Nerissa / Masuimi (crushbone)<div></div>

Sarduscious

09-10-2006, 06:19 PM

This is a good FAQ, though one thing I'd comment on that could be changed ...The list of *suggested* spell upgrades per tier is ok info for a total beginner, though a bit too opinion based for a faq -- a more useful list would be what the 4 spell choices are per tier for the master 2 upgrade selection as the link provided for a complete spell list is broken, and the stickied post on spells here is really only concerned with end game / t7 necros so not at all useful for the other 60+ levels of gameplay :smileywink:<div></div>

Jasuo

09-10-2006, 10:06 PM

<div><blockquote><hr>Sarduscious wrote:This is a good FAQ, though one thing I'd comment on that could be changed ...The list of *suggested* spell upgrades per tier is ok info for a total beginner, though a bit too opinion based for a faq -- a more useful list would be what the 4 spell choices are per tier for the master 2 upgrade selection as the link provided for a complete spell list is broken, and the stickied post on spells here is really only concerned with end game / t7 necros so not at all useful for the other 60+ levels of gameplay :smileywink:<div></div><hr></blockquote>Though it's from an outside source and I'm not really all for that kind of thing, here is a link to exactly what you are looking for.<a href="http://eq2.eqsummoners.com/viewtopic.php?t=1894" target=_blank>Necromancer spell listing/ possible upgrade path</a>I didn't follow it's advice, but then again I didn't know about it till after I hit 50 (pre DoF release). </div>

Sarduscious

09-11-2006, 09:04 PM

<div><blockquote><hr>Jasuo wrote:<div><blockquote><hr>Sarduscious wrote:This is a good FAQ, though one thing I'd comment on that could be changed ...The list of *suggested* spell upgrades per tier is ok info for a total beginner, though a bit too opinion based for a faq -- a more useful list would be what the 4 spell choices are per tier for the master 2 upgrade selection as the link provided for a complete spell list is broken, and the stickied post on spells here is really only concerned with end game / t7 necros so not at all useful for the other 60+ levels of gameplay :smileywink:<div></div><hr></blockquote>Though it's from an outside source and I'm not really all for that kind of thing, here is a link to exactly what you are looking for.<a href="http://eq2.eqsummoners.com/viewtopic.php?t=1894" target="_blank">Necromancer spell listing/ possible upgrade path</a>I didn't follow it's advice, but then again I didn't know about it till after I hit 50 (pre DoF release). </div><hr></blockquote>Thanks for the link -- it's good for being a complete list though not anything I'd recommend to others in terms of the advice it gives re: what spells to upgrade or not -- a couple of examples that make me laugh is saying our buff spells aren't worth bothering to upgrade, or that our stun line isn't worth an upgrade at all either even though at adept 1 it's resisted more often than not. Opinions on spells will always vary widely depending on how you play a given class though, so I tend to just stick to finding out what works best on my own :smileyvery-happy:At any rate, thanks again -- I did notice that this faq hasn't been updated in a while, so just thought I'd mention what could be added to a future update ( should one happen ) that might add to it's utility. </div>

stgninja

09-27-2006, 02:48 AM

Ok I just gotta say before you join a group always turn off pet protect self and protect me...unless your pet is the main tank. That way your pet is only attacking what you tell it to. So if your in a group and your pet is always getting aggro/breaking mezz and dying this is probably why. Pressing pet back off turns these off in 1 shot.

gizzardgulper

06-20-2007, 09:58 PM

Hi, nub necromancer here with a question about pulling. The FAQ suggests to pull a mob by having pet run up, do a hit, and run back to you. Wouldn't it be easier to just zap the mob with a long range spell, then sic the pet onto him when the mob is almost upon you? is there a downside to this method which i dont know about yet?

Xaneth

06-28-2007, 08:29 AM

No, it wouldn't as it would then put threat on you from the start instead of on your pet (which is where you want the threat to be focused). Generally solo, you pull with pet and then assist it as you would any tank. Also, don't start off with your most powerful spell once the pet IS on the mob, as it can draw attention. Work your way up to the big damage with your debuffs and DoTs. Unless you've got exceptionally high sta etc you really don't want the mob(s) on you because you wear cloth and they will probably bite you pretty good, possibly killing you if you're not of lvl to use Feign Death yet.. Your tank pet can take those hits, mostf Nec especially earlier in lvls, can't. Later on in lvls when you get higher sta and such to take the beating and different equip, THEN you can play around with not bothering with a tank pet at all and tanking whatever yourself. I've got a ring that triggers and heals me as well as does damage to the mob, so usually my pet gets no time to tank with me just laying into whatever i'm pulling from the start. Again though, earlier on this is really not recommended. <img src="/smilies/8a80c6485cd926be453217d59a84a888.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />

Duskwo

07-21-2007, 11:01 AM

think its about time to update this O_o a lot of it has changed.

Solarax

11-19-2007, 11:02 PM

i can tell you all that the adept3 version of our level 77 tank pet has 145 more HP than our 66 master pet tank. i know im comparing a a adept3 against a master but i would expect our next tier pet to have a slight bit more HP

Virulence

11-20-2007, 03:34 PM

<cite>Solarax wrote:</cite><blockquote>i can tell you all that the adept3 version of our level 77 tank pet has 145 more HP than our 66 master pet tank. i know im comparing a a adept3 against a master but i would expect our next tier pet to have a slight bit more HP</blockquote>145hp is very minor, around 1% of the total hp when buffed.

Sabutai

11-20-2007, 05:54 PM

<cite>Virulence wrote:</cite><blockquote><cite>Solarax wrote:</cite><blockquote>i can tell you all that the adept3 version of our level 77 tank pet has 145 more HP than our 66 master pet tank. i know im comparing a a adept3 against a master but i would expect our next tier pet to have a slight bit more HP</blockquote>145hp is very minor, around 1% of the total hp when buffed.</blockquote>but its on a horseand looks cooland actually holds agro. HP gain is minor.

Shumanjo

03-29-2008, 09:00 AM

Someone with knowledge should update this.I am new to the game so i will not be me <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /> but as I understand it alot have changed, and the <a href="http://eq2necromancer.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://eq2necromancer.com/</a> linkgoes to a goldseller/powerleveller site./Shumanjo

Sosum

08-12-2008, 08:26 PM

Here is my updated idea of the necromancer..feedback is encouraged<blockquote>Necromancer GuideI. What is the role of a Necromancer?II. Important Statsa. Basic Statsb. Item EffectsIII. Important Spellsa. Damage Spellsb. Crowd Controlc. Buffsi. Permanentii. Temporaryiii. Other/MiscIV. Casting OrderV. Armor SelectionVI. Weapon SelectionVII. AA VariationsVIII. ConsumablesIX. UI And Macro SetupX. Tips and TricksI. What is the role of a Necromancer?As it stands now, Necromancer are a DPS class. We have no "real" buff spells and, and perform some utility from time to time. When it comes to DPS, we are a DoT (Damage over Time) class. Our largest single spell hit will be either our Master Strike or Drain Life, which Master Strike really does not count due to its timer and mob type requirement.When it comes to utility, we still can do crowd control (non-epic), 48% Power & Health rezzs in-combat(35 meter), and we also give Mana hearts, Hearts are obsolete with the release of Mythicals for Mystics and Illusionists.II. Important StatsIIA. Basic StatsThrough leveling, your primary focus should be on INT, but it becomes less urgent as you near the level cap. The hard INT cap is around 1230 or so at level 80. Secondary to INT is STA, as you need as many hitpoints as possible to survive AOE's as best as you can, as well as to assist your lifeburn spell. Most gear naturally exists this way, so it shouldn't be hard to get around 9-10,000 health self-buffed at level 80. STR AGI and WIS don't help much at all raiding.IIB. Item EffectsAs a DPS class, we need a good mix of item effects to balance our DPS and survivability. From the simplest standpoint, we benefit from +spell damage the least than any other class due to the fact that our damage is split with our pet and the pet does not gain from the spell mod or crit. With RoK, many high-end Necross are hitting 75-90% crit without much difficulty, so you really have to balance both of these. However, since +spell damage is capped at 50% of the total damage of the spell, you have to do the math to calculate whether or not you will be over this cap, because anything over the cap is wasted.Spell Mod should be the focus until you can keep around high600s-low700s. Then you will begin focus on raising your Crit offsetting Spell damage mods as you deem necessary, Spell mod to 6-700 is more important however if you must choose. As your crit goes up so will your spell mod cap due to crit bonus and how often (higher percentage) you get to crit.Cast Haste / Re-use is also very helpful. Unfortunately, most of the gear is either "hostile re-use" or "beneficial re-use" Etc., the latter generally being more common to priest gear. Item Procs such as damage and power procs, are also useful, but damage procs are not nearly useful as they were in EoF. Power procs are not as useful once mythicals are obtained.Items like the BCG and collection earring reward should be retired in favor of dispersion gear and crit/spell mod items.Casting Speed boosts provide some value to us, but nothing unlike they would for a sorcerer. Defensively - Dispersion and Displacement gear are the best defensive gear we can get. You should always have at least 1-2 pieces of gear that falls into this category for fights where you cannot avoid being hit.III. Important SpellsWe have "four main" spells that are our most important and fall under Damage based spells.IIIa. Damage Spells:Bloodcoil - This is our main single target damage spell. Compared to other mage classes, it does little damage, but the speed in which we can cast it(0.8seconds) as well as the short re-use(7.8seconds) and duration (22.4seconds)make it our #1 spell on our parse, if we do not lifeburn.Soul Rot - This is considered our main end all spell to be used as much as possible but in testing I disagree with this statement. Soulrot is very nice due to its speed in casting (1.6 seconds) re-use(2.9seconds) and the short duration(1.1seconds). Right away the numbers between Bloodcoil and Soul Rot should show you which one is better for "pure" DPS. Drain Life - Single target life tap. Cast(1.6seconds) and re-use(8.8seconds) this is a must have in your rotation.Pandemic - AE DoT. Cast(1.5seconds), re-use(8.8seconds) and duration(5.8seconds) great spell for rotation but best saved for knowing when adds will be incoming to maximize the # of targets it will hit.BloodCloud - PBAoE cast)1.6secondS), re-use(24.5seconds). One of our longer spells and being PBAoE it never is used very much.Pack of Imps - Single Target crushing DoT pet, use early on long single target fights to help with the "something always ticking" mentalityGrave Disturbance - AE Disease DoT pet. Good to have for Multiple mob encounters, which is rare and should be considered fluff unless everything else is down.Vampirism - Great concept that was murdered in beta. Not very useful unless you know the encounter will not AE or you are Blood Pact spec to protect pet from taking damage as the spell dispels on ANY damage done to the target you cast it on. For the penalty of the spell in how it terminates I usually only cast on my pet to get the most out of its duration.Master Strike - Only worth mentioning here because it does a decent amount of damage for us, so it should always be cast when applicable.Undead Horde - Great DPS boost, use it whenever it is up.IIb. Crowd ControlUnlike enchanter classes, all of our crowd control spells cannot be used on epics. Some specific mobs will still be affected however, typically adds in an encounter not labeled as epic but heroic instead.Plot - 5second stunDread - 16second fear.Chains of Eternity - 35second root with high reoccurring resistibility.IIIc. BuffsWe have some buffs, can't say much more than that.PermanentMagi Shielding - Self explanatory. Always have this up, since it is zero cost.Teachings of the Undead - increase to STA and INT to groupGrave Favors - Group buff of Mana and mit to Disease and poison. Both you will see rarely in ROK anywhere.Archlich - Self buff that inflict additional damage on each successful attack as well as regen percentage of max power at cost of health which increases with spell quality.TemporaryGluttony - Pet buff that works as a health lich to you, your pet and all pets in-group (IE. Other summoners or possessed pets) but not swarm pets. Other/MiscThese spells don't really fit in to any category.Dooming Darkness - strictly a way to proc ArchlichVampire Bats - should never be used, it's a wasteMortality Mark - good precast to Lifeburn, lowers targets STA and WIS while increasing yours.Siphoning of Souls - Decreases targets STR and INT, on termination has a chance to give you one of 6 different spells but mostly you will never use them.IV. Casting OrderDue to the uniqueness of our class, our casting order is very different from most other classes. Casting should be done in order of how much damage that spell can do between casts. At the top of the list would be:BloodcoilSoulRotDrain LifePandemicWhen it comes down to it, Soul Rot is basically cast every other spell due to the re-use being so short and it is such a significant amount of our dps. Sadly, any other spell is merely a filler spell based on the each fight and what is happening in the fight at that moment. If you were to send pet and use just these 4 spells you would still do some appropriate damage.V. Armor SelectionOffensively, you need to balance +spell damage, crit, re-use, and procs, in that order, with spell damage being almost equal to crit, except much easier to cap. This list changes, so check out eq2flames for more information on what is best for us at the time.Defensively, you should have many spare pieces of gear in case you need to load up on a particular resist. Ideally though, get dispersion/displacement gear, as they proc stone skins which makes you take zero damage.VI. Weapon SelectionOur mythical is our best weapon. If you don't have that, use the Wand of Crystalized Plasma from Unrest, the Frigid Piercer from VP, or our Group epic if neither of those are available. This is pretty much standard for any mage class.VII. AA VariationEvery Necro should have the STR/INT lines filled out, and the rest in the WIS line.STR for the crits and INT for the leash(now broken and useless at time of writing), and pet permanent buffs. On the Necromancer side, go down the Pacts line for rez bonus and AE immunity on pet, Rotting line for the cast bonuses and lifeburn, and Grave calling to get additional pet buffs and extra undead horde bonus and skip the ooze crawler at all costs.VIII. ConsumablesGet the +50 Spell Damage Drink(30min duration), +4 Crit potions(15min duration), and the +3 crit scrolls(30min duration). Use food that has +STA on it.IX. UI and Macro SetupUI's are a matter of preference, but make sure you macro out when you cast Lifeburn, Undead Horde, or when you are Rezzing a fallen group/raid member. X. Tips and Tricks* While raiding, precast vampirism on pet if you know you are going to use it, the cast time is rather long for a spell at 2.86seconds. * Use all pets on long fights, short fights of <1min make these useless unless you precast to pull.* Always ask for JCAP on Horde and lifeburn, you should not need it for anything else and you should not be rezzing so much to need cap on that either.* Be mindful of the people dying around you. We are battle rezzers and as much as it sucks to not cast damage we should be front line for all rezzes at all times.* Use Dispersion gear when fighting named that aren't straight burns. Death = poor dps, so even if you take a hit on crit or spell damage, you'll do more DPS if you don't die.* Never use Soulsiphon gear (power proc) you have lich! The only time you should not use lich is on Venril currently due to the power level requirements of the fight, unless you burn mana through sprinting, etc * Use the training wall in Kunzar Jungle to help with your casting order. Watch ACT and when you want to try something different, make sure you test it a bunch of times. You will see the reason for my spell order listed prior and maybe you will see something different you prefer as this is a guide not an end-all. </blockquote>

Paleskinn

10-31-2008, 11:54 AM

That "update" shows a lot of what you think about the class, Sosumya.

Xil

11-05-2008, 10:17 PM

<cite>Sosumya@Unrest wrote:</cite><blockquote>Here is my updated idea of the necromancer..feedback is encouraged<blockquote>Necromancer GuideI. What is the role of a Necromancer?II. Important Stats a. Basic Statsb. Item EffectsIII. Important Spellsa. Damage Spellsb. Crowd Controlc. Buffsi. Permanentii. Temporaryiii. Other/MiscIV. Casting OrderV. Armor SelectionVI. Weapon SelectionVII. AA VariationsVIII. ConsumablesIX. UI And Macro SetupX. Tips and TricksI. What is the role of a Necromancer?As it stands now, Necromancer are a DPS class. We have no "real" buff spells and, and perform some utility from time to time. Only a DPS class if buffed correctly otherwise wasted raid spot...When it comes to DPS, we are a DoT (Damage over Time) class. Our largest single spell hit will be either our Master Strike or Drain Life, which Master Strike really does not count due to its timer and mob type requirement.When it comes to utility, we still can do crowd control (non-epic), 48% Power & Health rezzs in-combat(35 meter), and we also give Mana hearts, Hearts are obsolete with the release of Mythicals for Mystics and Illusionists. No reason to have a necro rez when dirge can rez and whipe rez effect, our root might as well be a mez with no AE prevention it breaks on hit.II. Important StatsIIA. Basic StatsThrough leveling, your primary focus should be on INT, but it becomes less urgent as you near the level cap. The hard INT cap is around 1230 or so at level 80. Secondary to INT is STA, as you need as many hitpoints as possible to survive AOE's as best as you can, as well as to assist your lifeburn spell. Most gear naturally exists this way, so it shouldn't be hard to get around 9-10,000 health self-buffed at level 80. STR AGI and WIS don't help much at all raiding. Very difficult outside of VP gear to get over 9k self buffed health without signifigantly stunting DPS, hitpoints are however VERY important for Lifeburn DPS. More Health higher LB ticks and exponentially more damage with proper healing.IIB. Item EffectsAs a DPS class, we need a good mix of item effects to balance our DPS and survivability. From the simplest standpoint, we benefit from +spell damage the least than any other class due to the fact that our damage is split with our pet and the pet does not gain from the spell mod or crit. With RoK, many high-end Necross are hitting 75-90% crit without much difficulty, so you really have to balance both of these. However, since +spell damage is capped at 50% of the total damage of the spell, you have to do the math to calculate whether or not you will be over this cap, because anything over the cap is wasted.Spell Mod should be the focus until you can keep around high600s-low700s. Then you will begin focus on raising your Crit offsetting Spell damage mods as you deem necessary, Spell mod to 6-700 is more important however if you must choose. As your crit goes up so will your spell mod cap due to crit bonus and how often (higher percentage) you get to crit. Stopping at 6-700 spell damage kills DPS potential. 50% of your Drain life base damage is the goal. Everything else crits. So around 850 to 900. And crits as high as you possibley can get them.Cast Haste / Re-use is also very helpful. Unfortunately, most of the gear is either "hostile re-use" or "beneficial re-use" Etc., the latter generally being more common to priest gear. Item Procs such as damage and power procs, are also useful, but damage procs are not nearly useful as they were in EoF. Power procs are not as useful once mythicals are obtained.Items like the BCG and collection earring reward should be retired in favor of dispersion gear and crit/spell mod items.Casting Speed boosts provide some value to us, but nothing unlike they would for a sorcerer. Defensively - Dispersion and Displacement gear are the best defensive gear we can get. You should always have at least 1-2 pieces of gear that falls into this category for fights where you cannot avoid being hit.III. Important SpellsWe have "four main" spells that are our most important and fall under Damage based spells.IIIa. Damage Spells:Bloodcoil - This is our main single target damage spell. Compared to other mage classes, it does little damage, but the speed in which we can cast it(0.8seconds) as well as the short re-use(7.8seconds) and duration (22.4seconds)make it our #1 spell on our parse, if we do not lifeburn. Soul Rot - This is considered our main end all spell to be used as much as possible but in testing I disagree with this statement. Soulrot is very nice due to its speed in casting (1.6 seconds) re-use(2.9seconds) and the short duration(1.1seconds). Right away the numbers between Bloodcoil and Soul Rot should show you which one is better for "pure" DPS. Drain Life - Single target life tap. Cast(1.6seconds) and re-use(8.8seconds) this is a must have in your rotation.Pandemic - AE DoT. Cast(1.5seconds), re-use(8.8seconds) and duration(5.8seconds) great spell for rotation but best saved for knowing when adds will be incoming to maximize the # of targets it will hit.BloodCloud - PBAoE cast)1.6secondS), re-use(24.5seconds). One of our longer spells and being PBAoE it never is used very much.Pack of Imps - Single Target crushing DoT pet, use early on long single target fights to help with the "something always ticking" mentalityGrave Disturbance - AE Disease DoT pet. Good to have for Multiple mob encounters, which is rare and should be considered fluff unless everything else is down.Vampirism - Great concept that was murdered in beta. Not very useful unless you know the encounter will not AE or you are Blood Pact spec to protect pet from taking damage as the spell dispels on ANY damage done to the target you cast it on. For the penalty of the spell in how it terminates I usually only cast on my pet to get the most out of its duration.Master Strike - Only worth mentioning here because it does a decent amount of damage for us, so it should always be cast when applicable.Undead Horde - Great DPS boost, use it whenever it is up.This whole section needs some work. Sounds like you kinda rolled another class and don't play the necro anymore.IIb. Crowd ControlUnlike enchanter classes, all of our crowd control spells cannot be used on epics. Some specific mobs will still be affected however, typically adds in an encounter not labeled as epic but heroic instead.Plot - 5second stun Useless on most content, 99% of all teir 8 named are immune and cannot be used on epics. Not croud control. Supposed to be used to help protect the tank from damage.Dread - 16second fear. Completely worthless spell should not exist in the game.Chains of Eternity - 35second root with high reoccurring resistibility.IIIc. BuffsWe have some buffs, can't say much more than that.PermanentMagi Shielding - Self explanatory. Always have this up, since it is zero cost.Teachings of the Undead - increase to STA and INT to groupGrave Favors - Group buff of Mana and mit to Disease and poison. Both you will see rarely in ROK anywhere.Archlich - Self buff that inflict additional damage on each successful attack as well as regen percentage of max power at cost of health which increases with spell quality.TemporaryGluttony - Pet buff that works as a health lich to you, your pet and all pets in-group (IE. Other summoners or possessed pets) but not swarm pets. Also adds a large amount of DPS to the pet for duration, This spell should always be greyed out no matter what content you are fighting. Other/MiscThese spells don't really fit in to any category.Dooming Darkness - strictly a way to proc Archlich Also to proc POTM and any other chance to proc damage as well as a small fast cast DoT that sits nicely between refreash timers.Vampire Bats - should never be used, it's a waste Absolutley False.Mortality Mark - good precast to Lifeburn, lowers targets STA and WIS while increasing yours. Should always have this spell up and re-apply just before lifeburn.Siphoning of Souls - Decreases targets STR and INT, on termination has a chance to give you one of 6 different spells but mostly you will never use them. Absolutley not true. Use them all the time and keep Siphon of Souls on every mob you encounter.IV. Casting OrderDue to the uniqueness of our class, our casting order is very different from most other classes. Casting should be done in order of how much damage that spell can do between casts. At the top of the list would be: Little more complicated than this, Spells need to be cast in refresh order as well as duration order because the main DPS from bloodcoil and pandemic come from the inital strike. But there is more to the chain that you have not considered here as well.Gluttony (Prebuff)Siphon of Souls (Pull)Repeat (No POTM)Drain LifeSoulRotBloodcoilPandemicSoulRotDarknessBatsSoulRotDaggerDrain LifeSoulRotImpsSoulRotGrave DisturbanceSoulRot Repeat (With POTM)**Mark (use then click off again)SoulRotDarknessBloodcoilSoulRotMark (use then click off again)PandemicDispelSoulrotMark (use then click off again)DarknessBloodcoilSoulRot**This is very important as a necro grouped with a troubador. When PoTM goes off spam your quick casting and refreshing detrimental spells. ALL OF THEM. Ignore anything that takes a long time to cast and be sure to double click Morality Mark as you can use it over and over for PoTM procs with very little cooldown. Dagger, dispel, darkness, mark, all of these will proc PoTM. If everything is grey throw in master strike or Drain life but then go straight back to these fast cast refresh spells.**<hr />Swap Imps/Rot and Grave/Rot for Unstopable Soul and Lifeburn, Followed Immediatley upon burn by Undead Horde and the chain again (when applicable)Imps and Grave should never come in at the start of a fight due to the majority of mobs having a frontal and flanking AE as well as the likelyhood of other AE's coming in shortly after or on the pull.When it comes down to it, Soul Rot is basically cast every other spell due to the re-use being so short and it is such a significant amount of our dps. Sadly, any other spell is merely a filler spell based on the each fight and what is happening in the fight at that moment. If you were to send pet and use just these 4 spells you would still do some appropriate damage. Absolutley not true on all counts but one. SoulRot is in fact our most frequently cast spell. Without dumbfires, bats, animated dagger, and dooming darkness mixed in your limit DPS signifigantly.V. Armor SelectionOffensively, you need to balance +spell damage, crit, re-use, and procs, in that order, with spell damage being almost equal to crit, except much easier to cap. This list changes, so check out eq2flames for more information on what is best for us at the time.Defensively, you should have many spare pieces of gear in case you need to load up on a particular resist. Ideally though, get dispersion/displacement gear, as they proc stone skins which makes you take zero damage.VI. Weapon SelectionOur mythical is our best weapon. If you don't have that, use the Wand of Crystalized Plasma from Unrest, the Frigid Piercer from VP, or our Group epic if neither of those are available. This is pretty much standard for any mage class.VII. AA VariationEvery Necro should have the STR/INT lines filled out, and the rest in the WIS line.STR for the crits and INT for the leash(now broken and useless at time of writing), and pet permanent buffs. On the Necromancer side, go down the Pacts line for rez bonus and AE immunity on pet, Rotting line for the cast bonuses and lifeburn, and Grave calling to get additional pet buffs and extra undead horde bonus and skip the ooze crawler at all costs. If you spec right there is no reason to not have the ooze pet, it is sutiationally very usefull to both grouping and raiding.VIII. ConsumablesGet the +50 Spell Damage Drink(30min duration), +4 Crit potions(15min duration), and the +3 crit scrolls(30min duration). Use food that has +STA on it. Your spell damage should be at the 50% cap for your Drain Life no other spell damage enhancement is needed. Use STA/INT food always.IX. UI and Macro SetupUI's are a matter of preference, but make sure you macro out when you cast Lifeburn, Undead Horde, or when you are Rezzing a fallen group/raid member. Macro a pre burn /tell to both the mystic and the trouby about 10 seconds before you click lifeburn.Example:/tell troubador "burn coming hit me with JC when my life drops"/tell Mystic "burn coming make it bigger for me"As well as a Macro for the actual burn macro on spell cast.Undead Horde needs no macro. Your healer should always have all group HoT's up at all times anyway.X. Tips and Tricks* While raiding, precast vampirism on pet if you know you are going to use it, the cast time is rather long for a spell at 2.86seconds. Vampirism is also usefull on skilled scouts that know how to avoid damage* Use all pets on long fights, short fights of <1min make these useless unless you precast to pull. Never precast dumbfires on the pull they will die 99% of the time* Always ask for JCAP on Horde and lifeburn, you should not need it for anything else and you should not be rezzing so much to need cap on that either.* Be mindful of the people dying around you. We are battle rezzers and as much as it sucks to not cast damage we should be front line for all rezzes at all times. Necro should only rez if there is no other rez availible or on fights like VS* Use Dispersion gear when fighting named that aren't straight burns. Death = poor dps, so even if you take a hit on crit or spell damage, you'll do more DPS if you don't die. Resist gear is more than enough and unlike dispersion gear much of it does not destroy DPS*Macro /pet attack to SoulRot*Get Bloodthirsty Choker*Get respec mirror the moment you hit 21 AA's for a solo and group spec, necro absolutley cannot perform solo with a group focused spec or grouped with a solo focused spec, this is very VERY important</blockquote></blockquote>That should about cover it...

Sosum

11-25-2008, 02:29 AM

<cite>Paleskinn@Runnyeye wrote:</cite><blockquote>That "update" shows a lot of what you think about the class, Sosumya.</blockquote>care to clarify your statement?

Sosum

11-25-2008, 02:29 AM

Xil I am sorry, if you use ACT you will see OOze Pet does nothing.. literally. and bats is a filler spell at best.

Xil

11-25-2008, 11:04 PM

<cite>Sosumya@Unrest wrote:</cite><blockquote>Xil I am sorry, if you use ACT you will see OOze Pet does nothing.. literally. and bats is a filler spell at best.</blockquote>However if you look at the detrimental effects bar of the mob you see that the ooze pet does infact apply the curse regularly as well as do a tiny amount of damage(which you can also see in ACT).So nothing is a bit of an exageration...It is a great disadvantage to DPS to use the Ooze pet no doubt but the curse is effective from time to time in both grouping and raiding situations.

Sosum

11-26-2008, 12:09 AM

<cite>Xil wrote:</cite><blockquote><cite>Sosumya@Unrest wrote:</cite><blockquote>Xil I am sorry, if you use ACT you will see OOze Pet does nothing.. literally. and bats is a filler spell at best.</blockquote>However if you look at the detrimental effects bar of the mob you see that the ooze pet does infact apply the curse regularly as well as do a tiny amount of damage(which you can also see in ACT).So nothing is a bit of an exageration...It is a great disadvantage to DPS to use the Ooze pet no doubt but the curse is effective from time to time in both grouping and raiding situations.</blockquote>it was a great concept with poor execution and the hit rate was horrible at best.. and being so gimped on DPS against other mages the pet loss - especially with having the mythical.. is too much to justify the use of the ooze pet.

Xil

11-26-2008, 02:14 AM

<cite>Sosumya@Unrest wrote:</cite><blockquote><cite>Xil wrote:</cite><blockquote><cite>Sosumya@Unrest wrote:</cite><blockquote>Xil I am sorry, if you use ACT you will see OOze Pet does nothing.. literally. and bats is a filler spell at best.</blockquote>However if you look at the detrimental effects bar of the mob you see that the ooze pet does infact apply the curse regularly as well as do a tiny amount of damage(which you can also see in ACT).So nothing is a bit of an exageration...It is a great disadvantage to DPS to use the Ooze pet no doubt but the curse is effective from time to time in both grouping and raiding situations.</blockquote>it was a great concept with poor execution and the hit rate was horrible at best.. and being so gimped on DPS against other mages the pet loss - especially with having the mythical.. is too much to justify the use of the ooze pet.</blockquote>So true. The Ooze pet should have never been a primary pet it should have been a secondary pet or a debuff added to the primary pet. Or at the very least been able to DPS as a scout or mage pet can.However the original point was that there is really no place else to put those points that would be an effective use of them either so it's better to have the pet that is useful once in a great while than just throwing those AA's on something that doesn't matter like Necro Healing.Currently though I've removed these points in favor of points in Shadows but will likely return them after I have maxed out my AA's again simply because there really is no place else to put them.